Growing up Tech: Jonathan Crispino-SUNY Albany Informatics Student

I’d like to add a guest voice to the blog today: Jonathan Crispino from Long Island – who is about to graduate from the Informatics Program at the University at Albany – talks about his tech journey and the role of his parents along the way.

Jonathan Crispino -SUNY Informatics Graduate

My generation has been immersed in the world of technology like none before it; that much is of little dispute. However, there is a common sentiment that my parents generation is constantly behind the times in the tech world. Here my opinions differ from the norm.

My mother and father were both utilizing Facebook for over a year before I joined the social network. For the last several months my father has also been a user of Twitter (though not an active one), a service I have yet to be convinced holds value to me. In my family of four, I was also the last to adopt tablet use and I am the only one not using a tablet from Apple. Today I use the oldest computer and the oldest version of Microsoft Office. Yet, as a college senior graduating with a degree in Informatics, I am the most technologically savvy person in my family.

So why is the technological millennial the slowest to embrace a technological world?

As far as I can see there are several different explanations for this phenomenon. The first is that my household is unnaturally advanced in its grasp on technology. I find this unlikely given the number of times I am summoned for tech support every week. More likely is that the source of this comes from the organizations my parents work for. Companies today are embracing technology just as consumers are. This forces older generations to learn technology before their children either have interest in, access to, or the financial means to acquire the latest trends. How many people under 25 have a spare $500 lying around to spend on an electronic toy? My first extended use of a VHS player, tape deck, computer, CD player, minidisk player, DVD player, iPod, and iPad all came from my father buying them for his own use. While parents might not grasp the latest trends in technology as quickly as their children, they are still responsible for their child’s exposure.

Given the ease of use that some of today’s devices offer (namely those from Apple) anyone can learn to operate in the modern world. With technology becoming easier to use, and more widespread in its use, we are able to introduce it to people at both a younger and older age. On one hand I have seen children in diapers navigating iPhones with ease and on the other hand have successfully taught my grandmother how to use an iPad. My sister is three years younger than me, and as such was introduced to the technology in my house beginning at a younger age. Her insistence to join Facebook prompted my parents to join.

Can it be that Generation X is the driver of the technological hardware while Generation Y is the driver of software?

Which is more likely to buy a $1,000 smart TV?

Which is more likely to join the free social network?

In my experience I have seen one key difference between Generation Y and their parents and grandparents: trust.

The younger generations trust the technology and accept the associated risks to privacy these advances bring. The older generations are less willing to trust that they are operating the devices correctly and they do not have complete confidence in the companies behind the innovations managing their data properly. As adoption of technology reaches a saturation point among those born in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s, and to a lesser extent their parents, they will learn to trust themselves. Once that happens, they will have the tools necessary to expand their knowledge on their own.

The first step is education, which removes mystery and builds confidence. The second is immersion. There is no better way to learn technology than to use it, though without proper education this can backfire. And if it does, help is always a generation away.

Jonathan raises some excellent issues on the role of parents in their children’s technological knowledge. He also brings up an interesting point about how people’s trust technology can impact their use of it. I’ll pass along any comments you have to Jonathan and allow him to respond!